streaming service while the show he once helmed much of its viewership and its voice. >> in terms of a ratings vehicle which is how a lot of television execs keep score, it drops a lot. >> many democrats are growful over the potential broadsides aimed at the presumptive republican nominee. >> donald trump is going to give jon stewart so much golden material that the joe biden campaign won't be able to put a value on it. >> whoa. >> joe biden. >> biden could be a big target as well. >> people should remember that stewart wasn't afraid to criticize both sides in his monologue, in his routines. media and political analysts say donald trump and his campaign will very likely do their own deep dive on jon stewart to try to dig up dirt on him and burn lines at their own to hit back at the comedian. wolf, get ready. it will be pretty hot. >> we'll certainly be ready. to our viewers, thanks very much for watching.

erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. ♪ >> "outfront" next, trump's pressure campaign, the former president wants nikki haley out calling her bird brain and questioning her fancy clothes and says he doesn't get mad. he gets even. haley is defiant and is live at this hour. 14 people on board a plane killed and questions behind who was behind that crash, and a passenger notices missing boards on a plane of a wing that was board that had was ready for takeoff. tells the crew and the flight was cancelled. why didn't the airline notice it first? he's my guest. let's go "outfront." good evening. i'm erin burnett "outfront" tonight, trump bullying haley. trump calling her a bird brain who can never lead and is bullying on gop leaders is working. they are all getting on board. listen to the chairwoman of the rnc who had once vowed to stay neutral in this race.

>> i'm looking at the math and the path going forward, and i don't see it for nikki haley. >> and that just follows republican lawmaker after lawmaker who are caving and rushing to jump behind trump. john cornyn says i've seen enough, j.c. vance, drop out, lindsey graham, the sooner we unite and when he says -- it's past time to rally around president trump, .16% of the united states population has voted, .16%, and that .16% live in only two states. as for heal, she's determined to stay in the race. we'll see. she's about to take the first time in her state after losing to trump by 11 points in new hampshire, and while it is fair to say, to me at least, that it does not seem like the founders of had country would ever wouldn't .16 of a country to make a decision like this in the

moment that we're in, the reality appears that trump does have this locked up. two states and two clear wins. so then why if he does have it locked and the gop is all piling on to tell them that they are back in the fold and it's good and it's wonderful and he's got it, why is the man by all measures on track to get the nominee so vitrioloic towards haley? this was a victory speech. i do want to remind you again that this was a victory speech. >> i don't get tooagery, i get even, and when i watched her in the fancy dress that probably wasn't so fancy, you must really hate her. >> vengeful and denigrating, and also i feel totally comfortable saying this, it's blatantly sexist. what does denigrating her wardrobe and calling it cheap or i don't know what he was trying to say, what does it have to do to anything? but here's the thing. the people around trump in that moment were all on board. let's just replay that last

clip, where trump put senator tim scott on the spot and watch the men behind trumpet. >> she endorsed me. you must really hate her. >> laughing like childhood vivek ramsawamy laugh, the only person standing in the race against trump, a race they all lost, and now they are willing to pile on the only person still standing. it happens to be a woman. dianne gallagher is out in south carolina and you've been talking to voters all day. in the context of this there's the reality of whether nikki haley can get any traction in her home state. what are they telling you? >> reporter: you know, erin, this may be nikki haley's backyard but after talking to voters south carolina is donald trump's playground. the haley insists they are not going anywhere, two new ads up

today, a $4 million buy and there's the rally tonight, but trump voters insist she should get out but her voters insist she does have what it takes to stand tall in her home state. at coastal coffee rosters in somerville, a cup of coffee this time of year comes with a splash of politics. >> it's been a rough few years. >> the republican palmetto state has another tomb of weeks. >> we're going head off to south carolina. >> reporter: and donald trump is looking to oust the governor who was elected twice. >> south carolina voters don't want a coronation. they want an election. >> reporter: but voters here over and over again told us they have already made their choice. >> donald trump 200%. >> i'll be investigate for

donald trump. >> reporter: support for trump remains strong with republicans in south carolina despite his legal troubles and the fact that it's now a one-on-one race with their former governor. >> i just think that trump is a stronger presidential figure than she is. >> i think she should drop out, apologize to president trump and join forces so we did try to save this country. >> reporter: voters frequently citing trump's long list of high profile is being endorsements. >> this election is over! >> reporter: none more than senator tim scott appointed by healy in 2012. >> i think there's going to be a surprise where i think trump is going to landslide is, yeah, i do, tom scott backing him, i do. >> reporter: but not everyone is ready to forfeit the race. stephanie bennett says she's technically undecided, but likes haley. >> it's her track record as the governor here and then what she did at the united nations. >> reporter: and yet she's worried in a month her vote

won't matter. >> i wonder if people aren't going to go into it with a preconceived notion he's already won with -- that is a fear, like get out and vote. don't think he's already won because i don't think he has. >> reporter: a similar concern about half an hour down the road from william cogswell, the first republican elected as mayor of charleston in over a century. >> there seems to be the attitude that it's a foregone conclusion. i think she brings a breath of fresh air, and i think our country needs that. >> reporter: he endorsed haley back in november and still believes in her campaign. >> i think she is a fighter. she has beat the odds repeatedly. >> reporter: but dorchester county republican party chair steven wright whos, who says he remining neutral for month, says heal may already be out of time. >> i think people like nikki heal but south carolina is trump country. the polls indicate that. the enthusiasm on the ground indicate that. >> reporter: now talking to heal

supporters, many of them said things like, you know, democracy and choice as part of why they want her to stay in. although, erin, i talked to several who admitted that there is a slight fear that they have if she is beaten by a landslide by donald trump in her home state, that it could have a negative impact on future political aspirations. >> sha political calculus she's got to weigh. hearing all the perspectives that diane was speaking to today, some say drop out, some say stay in. the mayor of charleston was interesting that he had that conversation. what's the case for heal saying in right now? >> honestly that donald trump is 77 years old. he is facing a number of indictments and is facing a complicated path forward and is it very likely, absolutely not, but she's not going to be donald trump's running mate. i think we have been reasonably

assured of that. she won't be a successor if donald trump wins decisively in this contest in 2028 so this is her shot. if she's sees this as an opportunity to make a difference, make a mark, this is when she has to do it, and, you know, again, the odds are against her, but that's been true before. >> margaret, she's dealing with -- calls her bird brain, all the sexist invectitude thrown her direction. >> i've been invigorated by her hutz para, you know, y'all, i'm staying in anyway and i'm going fight. you may not believe, but i believe in myself and in this campaign and what it stands forks and i am going to sort of be a beacon for something else, and i applaud that. i think this republican party needs that desperately, and it's hard to see the path, but there are always things you don't

know, and maybe that's what she's hanging her hat on. maybe that's sort of a hope and a prayer. >> yeah. >> but frankly it is the better thing for this country, no doubt, and certainly the better thing for the republican party. >> advance, you got to be proud of her? >> people have been saying we wish a republican would stand up to donald trump. everybody caves to him and everybody kisses the ring and falls in line. why can't somebody stand up to hep him? she's doing it. someone is doing it. her name is nick kay haley so she's now the -- there are two things standing between donald trump becoming president of the united states. one is named nikki haley, and the other is named joe biden, so if you believe the republican party can do better, should do better, can look better and sound better, there's someone trying do that. her name is nikki haley so to try to push her out and a lot of people due to are cynicism or resignation saying she should get out. >> my point of view, .16% of america has voted. you know, i understand our sis

them. >> yeah. >> but i think in the context of this unprecedented personality that we're talking about, it is incredible to think about in a moment where so few people the could decide something so momentous. >> i admire her chutzpah admire your good use of yiddish, but here's the reality and it has been from the beginning of the main part of this campaign. donald trump has the support from a really important cohort in the republican primaries and that's republicans, okay. he won 3-1 among republicans in new hampshire. she won among independents, but new hampshire is the most inviting state for independents to participate. the republicans there are more moderate, and once you leave -- i think south carolina is a winner take all state. a lot of these primaries are winner take all, so hang around is hard, you know. being the symbolic anything this race again and again and again is hard, and there's a question

of how long you can raise money to do that, and what ultimately are you -- what are you looking at down the road here? she's 52 years old. i think she's not done or doesn't want to be done. i don't think she's ready to make the chris christie decide because he was sort of a suicide bomber in this thing and knew it going in. i don't think -- she's not be willing to go as far as christie did, and when do you do in this race? what you heard in that video were people saying we liked her. she was a good governor. we think she was -- we're supportive of her, but we like trump more for president and so how do you change their minds without actually making a very strong case against donald trump, and what is the cost of doing that again and again and again to her? these are the calculations that she has to make. >> this is one thing to keep in mind is that donald trump running in 2024 is markedly different than in 2016. >> yeah. >> you have the improvisational trump on the stump, making that

victory speech, but you also have the very disciplined trump campaign. suzy wyles, this team, they know what they are doing and they made a policy pitch. they were hitting nikki haley from the right on immigration and hitting her from the left on social security. that discipline could be something that carries them through and we can't underestimate the f-kaegs and the fact that he's thought that message through. >> i don't think they went out there and say if out and act like a jack ass and go after nikki haley and humiliate tim scott. that was the improvisational trump. they can't control him that. was a real horrible exhibition last night and only probably made heal more determined to try to stay. whether she do, i think is an important question, but he

didn't help himself in that sglojt project. >> today biden got a big endorsement. wouldn't normally say it was a big endorsement. it had been up for grabs as trump has been courting unions and the uaw aggressively, and he wanted this one badly. he went to michigan, you know, during the entire strike and autoworkers for trump signs were we're showing here and biden ended up getting that. >> i guess, i understand, you would orderly expect but it wasn't necessarily a sure thing, what does it sunshine. >> i -- i'm not at all surprised. i don't think any political on sieve is surprised. there was not really a chance that the united autoworkers of america were going to endorse donald trump. when donald trump and joe biden had basically competing campaign events in michigan earlier this year, you'll recall donald trump had to try to go get autoworkers to show up and he had a real difficult time it. almost became sort of like a big

political campaign flop, and joe biden came away, you know, the campaign slogan and all the campaign footage. it just -- i recognize that winning those voters won't be as uniform as it has in the past for joe biden, and this is an-year where trump has done well. >> you're right that it's -- it should have been an easy layup, but it wasn't, and it's because the republican party is trying to become the party of the multi-racial working class, and i'm proud that the uaw leadership at least recognizes that unions have been doing better under joe biden, have been growing more, have been winning verdictries. i live in los angeles. the whole town was shut down for six months in the strike against ai. the union movement is growing. if you're a proud work class person, you've got to be proud of unions. if you're proud of unions you should be proud of joe biden and i was glad that the union leadership recognized that this is a pro-union president, more so than any in my lifetime and

he deserved that. he earned that endorsement. >> it would have ban blow if they did not endorse him. it was important for him to get that endorsement and messages are also real important here. they will amplify this message that van is speaking about which is an important contrast with trumpet trump talks like the working class, but he doesn't govern in their -- to their ben fitbit, and i think this is going to be a big contrast in the campaign. >> guys, he bought the endorsement, okay? joe biden has channeled billions of dollars to big three automakers. he was on the picket line with the uaw. this uaw leadership is hard left. this is going to happen. >> you say, he earned is by being a good president for labor. >> right. >> i respectfully disagree. >> i guess we'll leave it at that. at least we keep it respect until this forum. thanks to all of you. breaking news, the house republican of republican matt gaetz, a big development there, the committee reaching out to a woman who allegedly had sex with the congressman as a minor.

plus, questions growing over the fate of the fulton county d.a. who is investigate trump and is accused of misusing taxpayer funds while having an alleged affair with her lead prosecutor k.fani willis survive? i'll speak to a former assistant d.a. who knows willis and her prosecutor. and it is becoming one of the most watched races in the united states, one that could give democrats a shot at taking back the house, but can they win back george santos' seat?

breaking news. cnn reporting exclusively that the house ethics committee investigating republican congressman matt gaetz allegedly had a sexual relationship when she was a minor. it's a sign that the republican-led committee's investigation into gaetz has expanded to include questions of alleged sex crimes. paula reed is out front. paula probing next conclusive reporting, so what more can you tell us about the allegations and where the house is in the investigation? >> reporter: in addition to that the outreach to this woman, the committee is also reached out to the justice department asking for materials in its years-long investigation into the congressman. an investigation into congressman gaetz actually began under trump-appointed bill barr

and it went on several years and went beyond allegations of sex with a minor to include potential lobbying violations and sex traffic and ultimately the congressman was not charged. joel greenberg did plead guilty to a series of crimes including soliciting and having sex with a minor. now in a statement tonight, the congressman responding to our reporting, quote, saying those allegations were not true, have never been true, and the people who spread those lies have been exposed, indicted and imprisoneded. so you talk about the doj, i understand that sources are telling you that the committee has contacted the doj formally, and they have asked some of that information from the investigation that you're talking about into gaetz. what do you know about that? >> so what's interesting about the ethics investigation is that it sort of was on hold, right? it was open in 2021 and then they decided to yield to the justice department's investigation, and the justice department wrapped up. midway through last year this investigation was revimptd as we

report tonight, the congressman was very frustrated and blamed then house speaker kevin mccarthy for allowing the ethics probe to be revived, and kevin mccarthy has said if he believes he allowed those frustrations to drive -- was actually successful to push mccarthy right from the speakership, but now in a post-speaker mccarthy world the investigation not only continues this ethics probe, but it's expanding. the big question is to what extent will the justice department be willing to hand over materials without a subpoena even then so that's the next thing to watch. >> obviously it's significant that there are developments here ton this front. paula, thank you so much. and i want to turn to the investigation of former president trump in georgia where the focus has turned to the district attorney fani willis, the investigate knorr this case and there's questions over her future. she's been alleged as part of this to have misused taxpayer funds while having an affair with the person she selected to be the lead prosecutor in the

case against trump, a man named nathan weighed. he's accused of billing willis and the county and taxpayers for hundreds of thousands on the case, money allegedly used to help pay for their lavish vacations together. in a court hearing next week now, wins we could hear from wade for the first time about the allegations against him and willis. darryl cohen joins me. he's former fulton county assistant district attorney, and i know, darryl, that you know both nathan weighed and fani willis, so you've never them both over the years. in that context, were you surprised when you heard all of these allegations? >> i was disappointed, erin, that i heard all of these allegations. it's not something that i wanted to hear. it's something that we have to deal with, and i was disappointed, as i mentioned, but things happen sometimes. >> so it -- you say but things happen sometimes. what do you think should happen now it is a result, right?

there's now a county investigation into this. i know that obviously the judge involved in the trump election case also is having a hearing. should fani willis step aside? >> that's a very good and interesting question and one that we'll find out, but there are so many things. fani used bad vision. she could not see the forest through the trees. sometimes affairs of the heart take over the affairs of the logic, and in this case i think fani didn't mean to do anything nefarious, but what she did was at best inappropriate. the optics are bad. my dad was an eye doctor and if he saw someone that had bad vision he did what he could to correct it. that's what fani needs to do now. she could be excused from this case. she could be reprimanded. the judge could say, hey, fani, don't do that. nathan weighed could be excused

from the case. the fulton county's d.a. office could be excused. i don't see any that have happening. if i were fani i would say to the public, i'm sorry, i made a mistakes and the optics are bad, but we did nothing illegal, immoral or unethical. >> so to that point, darryl, do you think a jury, i mean, i guess that's the lens you have to put on this to keep with the eye references here? i won't make it more national, but do you think a jury could look at that and say, okay, that is real case, or does this impact their view of the credibility of the actual case itself? >> if the jurors -- if this case ever get to trial and if the jurors listen to the evidence or the lack of evidence, certainly they are going to be affected in some way by what has taken place today, yesterday, last week, last month. >> yeah. >> but i think as time goes by,

jurors are like regular people. that's what they are. as time goes by, this is going to be more and more faint in the background and i don't really think it will have any effect on the trial, be trump convicted or acquitted or it be a mistrial. >> so if willis steps aside though, and i understand you're saying you don't think that she will need, to but if she do, and there are a lot of calls for that, because you know them both and you know the office, do you think, darryl, that there is someone strong enough to take over the case and have it move forward expeditiously, or does this case essentially fall apart? >> i don't think the case is going to fall apart regardless of what happens. it may be lost or won by the d.a.'s office in fulton, but it's not going to fall apart. what we are looking at, nathan wade had a very thin amount of experience as far as rico which is what most lawyers have, but he's probably a very good head

coach and that's what they are looking for, so if fani happens to step aside and say i'm going recuse myself because i don't like the optics, then if nathan wade stays, he stays as a head coach. there are other people in the office that can handle that case because it's piece by piece. it's not one person doing everything. it's several people doing something. >> all right. well, darryl, i appreciate your perspective on this given that you note office and you know them both. thanks. >> thank you. and next we have some new video into the show of the moment a russian jet crashed near the ukraine bothered overnight. everyone on board was killed. russia tonight is claiming the jet suddenly changed course just before the crash, and this is a tea party that you do not want to be invited to, and we'll explain.

tonight dramatic new video into "outfront" capturing the moments a russian plane crashed in belgorod right along the ukraine border bursting into a massive fireball. all 74 on board were killed. the plane was carrying ukrainian

prisoners of war and that ukraine shot it down. president zelenskyy said given that the plane happened on russian territory that's beyond our control. fred pleitgen is "outfront." >> reporter: the final moments of the russian military plane's flight, diving to the ground, seemingly out of control. after the impact, the jet explodes in a giant fireball. i heard only two explosions, this eyewitness says. the first one was a dull bang and then an explosion, then big flames. russian media showing debris scattered across a large area at crash site. authorities say no one on board survived, including 65 ukrainian prisoners of war set to be exchanged the same day. moscow blaming kyiv for the incident. the ukrainian side launched an air devil from the kharkhiv

side. it targeted the airplane and was a fatal strike. the ukrainians haven't denied shooting the plane down, but kyiv says the russians never told them they would be flying the pows to belgorod, holding position could you responsible for the loss of life and the failed exchange. landing a transport plane in a 30-kilometer combat zone cannot be safe because otherwise it jeopardizes the entire exchange process. based on this, we may be talking about planned and deliberate actions of the russian federation to destabilize the situation in ukraine and weaken international support for our country. ukraine says russia often uses the il-76 cargo jets to transport missiles used to target ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. a recent attack killing and wounding scores in kharkhiv in ukraine's northeast. when the missile attack started,

i need down near the washing machine this, woman says. look, something hit me here. glass, glass, but i'm alive. some people died, and nye flat is gone. the ukrainians have vowed revenge for missile attacks like these and say they consider russian cargo planes transporting missiles to be legitimate targets. >> fred, just incredible to think about those prisoners of war, at least they say, were heading for an exchange. just an absolutely horrible event. the context here, of course, that the ukrainians have a dire weapons shortage as the front lines continue, and i know you are there on the ground. you've been seeing what they have and what they don't v.you've been watching the frustration. what is it like there in context of u.s. lack of support right now? >> reporter: the situation for the -- yeah, erin. i think the situation is actually for the ukrainians even a lot worse than many people

realize back home in the u.s. the ammo shortage is dire. i've been on some of the most active front lines here in this country, and in every single one of those, the soldiers on those front lines have been saying the biggest problem for them is a short and of ammo, especially 150 millimeter artillery shells, and in some cases ver having to shoot smoke ammo at advancing russians because they don't have explosive artillery ammo anymore to fire at them. one of the things that the ukrainians are saying that's really getting to them is the fact that they are not getting enough resupply, but russians are because the russians are not only outproducing right now the u.s. and its allies, but the russians got a million shells from the ukrainians, and that's led to some pretty scathing comments from some ukrainian politicians. i want to listen into what the foreign minister of this country said to german publication. let's listen in. >> as ridiculous it is a may sound, but it seems that north

korea is a more efficient partner to russia than -- than france who tried to supply ukraine with artillery ammunition. that's ridiculous, and it must be changed. >> reporter: that's ridiculous, and it must be changed, he says. you know, what we're also seeing on the front lines is that the ukrainians by and large are able to hold up a lot of the russian assaults, but, of course, it comes at great cost. they say it's making them all the more difficult that they don't have enough ammo, erin. >> fred pleitgen, thanks very much along the front lines, amazing there from the foreign minister that north korea is a more efficient partner to russia than the u.s. to ukraine right now. thank you, fred. next i'm going speak to the passenger who noticed parts mission on the wing of his jet just before takeoff. how did the airline not catch that. and the race to replace george santos now one of the most closely watched special elections in the united states. democrats desperately want the seat back. do they have a c chance?

not just any whiteboard... ...katie porter's whiteboard is one way she's: [news anchor] ...often seen grilling top executives of banks, big pharma, even top administration officials. katie porter. never taken corporate pac money - never will. leading the fight to ban congressional stock trading. and the only democrat who opposed wasteful “earmarks” that fund politicians' pet projects.

katie porter. focused on your challenges - from lowering housing costs to fighting climate change. shake up the senate - with democrat katie porter. i'm katie porter and i approve this message. here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. new tonight, the boeing ceo facing growing questions from lawmakers after several troubling incidents, including, of course, this moment when the

door plug shot out of the side of a plane at 16,000 feet over portland. ceo dave calhoun insisting his planes are safe. >> we fly safe planes. we don't put planes in the air that we don't have 100% confidence in. >> unfortunately, it comes as we learn of another incident on a boeing plane, this time in atlanta, georgia, were a delta flight was taxying for takeoff this weekend when a tire on the nose of the plane came loose and fell off. tower audio capturing the moment of the pilot right behind the plane actually saw it and flagged it. >> delta 982, this is the aircraft, one of your nose tires just came off. just rolled off the runway behind you. >> all right. tell you what, let me take to maintenance tower. i'm going to contact our maintenance folks. >> tonight we're also hearing the story of one passenger on an airbus flight from marnaz sterckx england to new york. he looked out his window before takeoff and he saw this.

looks like missing parts and empty holes on the wing of the plane he had just board so he alerted the the crew. all at passengers were ordered to get off the plane and the flight was cancelled. passenger phil hardy is "outfront" now. phil, you know, you shared the video with us of what you saw and then you shared this video where you can see an engineer out there, like you look through the win coast plane and he's takering on the wing with a screwdriver. the tops of four fasteners were missing. you go, you sit down, you're getting ready to come to new york. how did you notice this in the first place? >> well, i was just looking out the window, as you know, there's not a great deal else to dork and i'm one of these people that notice things. you could see the white screws and you could see the black

holes. and i took the picture and zoomed in and could see there were holes. >> you do, what a flight attendant walking birks ring the button? i mean, everybody is loading, but you find someone on the flight crew to tell them. tell me how that went down and how you reacted when you pointed out the window. >> well, luckily the flight crew had just finished their pre-flight safety briefing so there was a flight attendant just to my right-hand side. got her attention and let her know. she got the supervisor who came down. i showed him the photos that i had taken and he borrowed my phone to go and show the captain the pictures and then about ten minutes later an engineer appeared on board. >> so the captain looks at it, captain wants an engineer and then the mechanic goes out. what did you see as the mechanics, i guess, i don't know were they walking on the wing or what's happening on the wing? >> well, first, they figured on the corner of my life on the mechanical lift getting a closer

inspection, and i could see him confirm down to one of the colleagues on the ground that there were actually missing at first glance. he thought they were just covered up but still in place. >> how did the passengers on the plane, passengers around you react? did people realize what was going on? >> i think the passengers directly adjacent to me realized what was going on. however, i found out later on that most of the people on the plane thought i was just complaining because my tv wasn't work which is why the engineer came on board. >> i guess i'm smiling although, you know, it's -- i mean, in this environment when you think about it, it is scary. now, virgin atlantic and airbus, they are stress, they say, the plane still would have been safe to fly had it taken off. you know, virgin atlantic they are saying in a statement the flight was cancelled to provide time for precautionary maintenance checks and they say the safety of our customers and crew is our priority and this

was not compromised at any point. airbus' comment thon is that a secondary structure panel used to improve the aerodynamic performance. aircraft, each has 119 fasteners so there was name pact to the structural integrity. now, look, you and i aren't signature here as engineers, but the question to you as a passenger signature there, you looked out and saw that. you saw what happened. the captain wanted a mechanic. you hear the statements. do they make you feel any better? >> not, trying to put my mind to rest. they explained that the screws were still there, they weren't missing. it wasn't the heads that came off. surely it's the heads that are the important part of screws and if the panel was designed with 19 screws that's safe to fly without -- with four mission, then why wasn't it designed with 115 screws, so these things do cross your mind, but like you said we're not engineers, and

this doe know what we're talking about, so you have to put your trust in them. >> yeah, but it is -- it is the case though that that -- that that trust, of course, has now been called into question with some of the other incidents so it is important. i'm sure everyone on that flight was grateful that you did what you did and raised your hand. thanks so much, phil. >> no problem. >> and we reached out to faa certified pilot mechanic jeff simon about the incident, and he told us, quote, it's unfortunate that the discrepancy appears to have been discovered by a passenger. that would believe one to believe the airline wall unaware of the discrepancy and ultimately the quality system broke down somewhere. next, the race to replace george santos is heating up, and this is a race to do ultimately lead to a change in the balance of power. it is a crucial one. a special report on that next. and then and american chemistry professor stirring the pot over how to make tea. tensions are boiling across the pond.

tonight the race to replace george santos is now the most

closely watched special election in the united states. it is only two weeks away. democrats are hoping to flip the seat. can they do it? miguel marquez is out front. >> reporter: in the race to replace, george santos, voting day in this special election, a little over two weeks away. on a scale from one to ten, how motivated are you to vote? >> 11. >> reporter: santos flipped the seat. the democrats hope to take it back. it's a race that will have national implications. the biggest question, who will actually vote? how much of this is concerns about george santos and the madness that was and the fact he wasn't properly vetted? >> it's in the back of my mind. we don't need someone untried. >> reporter: what might be most amazing? george santos, a freshman

congressman, was catapulted to national joke and expelled. santos now on the celebrity video sharing website cameo. >> it's george santos. >> reporter: plays the tiniest of cameos in the race to replace him. >> i do believe that santos affect is minimal as far as how people vote. i think they're going to be happy that it's not george santos. >> reporter: neither candidate making santos central to their campaign. >> we have moved beyond george santos. it's over. >> reporter: do you think that

matters to this race ? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: santos is a non-factor. it's all about where they see the nation heading. >> how could you not be concerned? >> reporter: such as? >> such as the illegal immigration which we call immigration and give money to those people, such as crime. >> i look at this -- i think this race is a real barn burner. >> reporter: like most special elections, this man says neither issues nor santos will matter. what wins in these elections? >> it's hard work. there's no magic. it's hard work. it's getting on the phone. it's knocking on doors. it's a lot of work and organization. you have to work and pull that out. that's what wins these elections. >> reporter: lawrence miller, a

progressive, was angry over george santos' chaotic time in office. that's not his motivation for supporting a centrist. >> part of me is happy with his reaching across and bipartisan moderate position in this time. we need bipartisanship. the country is so fractured. >> reporter: for the record, that cameo appearance by george santos was not erin. one thing george santos can do, he can bring democrats and republicans together. they seem to dislike him similarly. he hasn't said much about the election, only he is not voting for a democrat, if he votes. >> so much at stake. thank you to miguel. an international brouhaha between the u.s. and uk. yes, there will be even more tea puns after this.

tonight, causing a stir. tensions between the u.s. and uk boiling over after an american chemistry professor concluded that adding a pinch of salt is the secret to a perfect cup of tea. the professor spilled the tea in a new book for which he researched a document spanning more than 1,000 years. did her homework. she says the salt makes the tea less bitter. this is now a piping hot controversy across the pond. listen to how they are talking about it on british tv. >> i think the fact is, she's an american making a cup of tea. >> by definition means she's not an expert. >> wow. the biggest brouhaha between brits and americans over tea since, you know. the u.s. embassy in london issued an official response saying in a statement, we want ns